Stumble-bum Saints need to reset their season against Atlanta
Take a deep breath, Who Dat Nation, your NFL team is 1-1 and not 0-2 after stealing a game from the lowly Cleveland Browns.
Yes, I am saying the New Orleans Saints coulda, woulda and probably shoulda been upset by the Browns if their kicker had put his best foot forward Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Supedome.
But Zane Gonzalez didn’t and now he’s unemployed after missing two extra points and two field goals, including a potential game-tying 52-yarder with three seconds remaining to hand-deliver a 21-18 Saints victory.
Just so there is no misunderstanding: I’m not saying the Browns are a better team — they’re 1-32-1 for Pete’s sake — but on this day they deserved better.
A second loss on the heels of a season-opening 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay — both games coming at home, mind you — would have been shocking. Not “Minneapolis Miracle’‘ shocking but shocking, nonetheless.
And while a victory lessens the need for Saints fans to panic after two games, I submit there is no reason to celebrate, either.
Saints coach Sean Payton summed it up well after Sunday’s game.
“I’m not real happy right now,’‘ Payton said. “I’m encouraged we won. But let’s not kid ourselves ... We’ve got a lot of work to do ... a lot of work to do.’‘
I provide CliffsNotes version of the first two games to support Payton’s premise:
▪ Against Tampa Bay, the offense played lights out and the defense got shredded by FitzMagic, the Buccaneers’ early MVP candidate, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
▪ Against Cleveland, the Saints played one quarter of winning offensive football (18 points in the fourth) while the defense nearly squandered 3 1/2 quarters of solid work with a momentary brain lapse during the final few minutes. If not for Gonzalez’s errant right foot in the waning seconds, this dispatch would have a more somber tone.
After two inauspicious games, the Saints are not giving off vibes of being a Super Bowl-caliber team. Certainly, the potential is there but until they begin playing complementary football in all three phases they probably won’t “prove (anyone) right.’‘
Suddenly, the Saints’ upcoming schedule looks vastly different than it did two games ago, beginning with Sunday’s road game against the Atlanta Falcons (noon, FOX) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Even a road game against the New York Giants in Week 4 and a home game in Week 5 against Washington on Monday Night Football (Oct. 8) can’t be taken lightly, not after what we’ve seen from New Orleans so far.
“It’s not an angel, sprinkle dust or anything like that,’‘ Payton said. “I think you find it during the week, and improving the details.’‘
It’s a perfect time for the Saints to reboot their season and get their act together. If not, they will find themselves 1-2.
Brian Allee-Walsh, a longtime Saints reporter based in New Orleans, can be reached at sports@sunherald.com.
This story was originally published September 18, 2018 at 11:57 AM.